Protocol on Road Signs and Signals

• Coming into Force: 20 December 1953
• Subject Terms: Transport,Roads
• Date of Conclusion: 19 September 1949
• Registration Date: 20 December 1953
• Registration Number: 1671
• Citation: UNTS v. 182 (p.228)
• Party Submitting the Application for Registration: ex officio
• Type of Document: Multilateral
• Depositary: Secretary-General of the United Nations
• Participants: Austria,Bélgica,Bulgaria,Burkina Faso,Camboya,Cuba,Czech Republic,Czechoslovakia,Dinamarca,República Dominicana,Ecuador,Egipto,Finlandia,France,Greece,Haiti,Holy See,Hungria,India,Israel,Italia,Kyrgyzstan,Lebanon,Liechtenstein,Luxembourg,Monaco,Montenegro,Holanda,Niger,Noruega,Polonia,Portugal,Rumania,Rwanda,San Marino,Senegal,Eslovaquia,España,Suecia,Suiza,Thailand,Tunisia,Uganda,Union of Soviet Socialist Republics,United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,Yugoslavia (Federal Republic of),Yugoslavia (Socialist Federal Republic of)

228

United

Nations

Treaty

Series

1953

No.

1671.

A.

CONVENTION

ON

ROAD

TRAFFIC.

SIGNED

AT

GENEVA,

ON

19

SEPTEMBER

1949

1

ACCESSION

Instrument

deposited

on:

11

December

1953

SYRIA

(To

take

effect

on

10

January

1954.)

No.

1671.

B.

PROTOCOL

2

ON

ROAD

SIGNS

AND

SIGNALS.

SIGNED

AT

GENEVA,

ON

19

SEPTEMBER

1949

Official

texts:

English

and

French.

Registered

ex

officio

on

20

December

1953.

The

States

Parties

to

this

Protocol,

desiring

to

ensure

the

safety

of

road

traffic

and

to

facilitate

international

road

traffic

by

a

uniform

system

of

road

signalling,

Have

agreed

upon

the

following

provisions

:

1

United

Nations,

Treaty

Series,

Vol.

125,

p.

3; Vol.

133,

p.

367;

Vol.

134,

p.

389;

Vol.

137,

p.

394;

Vol.

139,

p.

464;

Vol.

141,

p.

399; Vol,

147,

p.

395;

Vol.

150,

p.

395;

Vol.

151,

p.

386;

Vol.

157,

p.

387; Vol.

173,

p.

407,

and

Vol.

179,

p.

220.

8

In

accordance

with

article

58,

the

Protocol

came

into

force

on

20

December

1953,

fifteen

months

after

the

date

of

deposit

of

the

fifth

instrument

of

ratification

or

accession,

in

respect

of

the

following

States

on

behalf

of

which

the

instrument

of

ratification

or

accession

(a)

were

deposited

on

the

dates

indicated

:

Czechoslovakia

....................

3

November

1950

Monaco

.......................

25

September

1951

(a)

Sweden*.

.......................

25

February

1952

Greece

........................

1

July

1952

(a)

Netherlands

......................

19

September

1952

In

addition,

the

following States

have

deposited

their

instruments

of

ratification

or

accession

(a)

on

the

dates

indicated

(these

ratifications

and

accessions

to

take

effect

fifteen

months

after

the

date

of

their

deposit)

:

Cuba

.........................

1

October

1952

(a)

Luxembourg

......................

17

October

1952

Italy

.........................

15

December

1952

230

United

Nations

Treaty

Series

1953

PART

I

GENERAL

PROVISIONS

Article

1

The

Contracting

Parties

to

this

Protocol

accept

the

system

of

road

signalling

described

herein

and

undertake

to

introduce

it,

as

soon

as

possible.

For

this

purpose

they

will

erect

the

signs

set

out

in

this

Protocol

as

and

when

new

signs

are

put

up or

those

now

in

existence

are

renewed.

Signs

which

do

not

conform

to

the

system

provided

in

this

Protocol

shall

be

completely

replaced

within

a

period

not

exceeding

ten

years

from

the

date

of

the

coming

into

force

of

this

Protocol

in

respect

of

each

of

the

Contracting

Parties.

Article

2

The

Contracting

Parties

to

this

Protocol

undertake

to

replace

as

soon

as

it

comes

into

force,

signs

which,

although

they

have

the

distinguishing

features

of

a

sign

belonging

to

the

system

provided

in

this

Protocol

are

used

with

a

different

meaning.

PART

II

ROADSIDE

TRAFFIC

SIGNS

CHAPTER

I

GENERAL

Article

3

The

international

system

of

roadside

traffic

signs

shall

comprise

three

classes

of

signs,

namely

:

(a)

Danger

signs;

(b)

Signs

giving definite

instructions

subdivided

into

:

(i)

Prohibitory

signs,

(ii)

Mandatory

signs;

(c)

Informative

signs

subdivided

into

:

(i)

Indication

signs,

(ii)

Advance

direction

signs

and

direction

signs,

(iii)

Place

and route

identification

signs.

Article

4

There

shall

be

a

distinctive

shape

for

each

class

of

sign.

Article

5

1.

The

symbols

as

indicated

on

the

signs

shown

in

the

tables

appended

to

this

Protocol

shall

be

accepted

by

the

Contracting

Parties

as

the

fundamental

basis

of

their

roadside

traffic

signs.

As

a

rule

they

shall

appear

within

the

signplate.

No.

1671

232

United

Nations

Treaty

Series

1953

2.

Where

Contracting

Parties

consider

it

necessary

to

modify

the

symbols,

these

modifications

shall

be

such

as

not

to

alter

the

essential

character

of

the

symbols.

3.

For

the

purpose

of

facilitating

the

interpretation

of

the

signs

additional

informa

tion may

be

given

on

a

rectangular

plate

below

the

sign.

4.

Where

an

inscription

is

used

or

below

a

sign,

it

shall

be

in

the

national

language

or

languages,

and

if

so

desired

in

one

of

the

official

languages

of

the

United

Nations.

5.

New

symbols

created

by

Contracting

Parties in

accordance

with

the

provisions

of

paragraph

1

of

article

17

of

the

Convention

on

Road Traffic

opened

for

signature

at

Geneva

on

19

September

1949,

shall be

communicated

to

the

Secretary-General

of

the

United

Nations,

who

shall

notify

all

Contracting

Parties.

Article

6

1.

The

colours

used on

the

signs,

symbols

and

inscriptions

shall be

those

prescribed

in

this

Protocol,

unless

exceptional

conditions

make

them

impracticable.

2.

Where

the

colours

to

be

used

are

optional,

each

country

shall

employ

the

same

colours

for

any

one

class

of

signs

used

under

the

same

conditions.

3.

The

reverse

side

of

signs

shall

be

of

a

neutral

colour

except

in

the

case

of

the

signs

III,

C.l

a

'

b

and

symbol

II,

A.15

when

affixed

to

the

reverse

side

of

sign

II,

A.14.

Article

7

The

reflecting

devices

used

shall

not

dazzle

road

users

nor

obscure

the

legibility

of

the

symbol

or

the

inscription.

Article

8

1.

The

dimensions

of

sign

plates

shall

be

such

that

the

sign

can

be

easily

seen

from

a

distance

and

easily

understood

near

at

hand.

2.

The

dimensions

of

various

signs

shall be

standardised

in

each

country

so

as

to

ensure

the

maximum

uniformity.

In

general,

two

sizes

shall be

used

for

each

type,

namely,

a

standard

size

and

a

reduced

size

for

use

where

conditions

do

not

permit

or

the

safety

of

road

users

does

not

require

the

erection

of

the

standard

size.

In

exceptional

circumstances,

a

special

small

type

sign

may

be

used

inside

built-up

areas

or

for

repeating

the

main

sign.

Article

9

1.

Outside

built-up

areas,

the

centre

line

of

the

signs

shall

be

not

more

than

2

m

from

the

nearside

edge

of

the

carriageway

unless

special

circumstances

render

this

impracticable.

2.

In

built-up

areas

and

mountainous

country,

the

distance

between

the

edge

of

the

sign

nearest

the

carriageway

and

a

vertical

line

drawn

from

the

edge

of

the

carriage-

No.

1671